Commercial UAV Newshttps://www.expouav.com/news
Wed, 13 Dec 2017 14:27:42 +0000en-UShourly1https://www.expouav.com/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/cropped-icon-32x32.pngCommercial UAV Newshttps://www.expouav.com/news
3232An Update on Drone Regulation and U-space Integration in Europehttps://www.expouav.com/news/latest/update-drone-regulation-u-space-integration-europe/
https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/update-drone-regulation-u-space-integration-europe/#respondWed, 13 Dec 2017 11:00:33 +0000https://www.expouav.com/news/?p=11486We’ve explored EASA’s (European Aviation Safety Agency) efforts to streamline UAV regulations and approval processes across Europe, and their work with SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) to coordinate and concentrate all EU research and development is set to open up the skies for commercial drone operators across the continent. Much of that will be opened…

We’ve explored EASA’s (European Aviation Safety Agency) efforts to streamline UAV regulations and approval processes across Europe, and their work with SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) to coordinate and concentrate all EU research and development is set to open up the skies for commercial drone operators across the continent. Much of that will be opened up account of the U-space blueprint developed by SESAR that aims to enable complex and potentially automated drone operations in a variety of environments in a safe and organized manner.

Europe’s regional U-Space initiative is similar to the unmanned traffic management (UTM) system that we’ve discussed in detail. Essentially, U-Space is close to a smart city concept: an environment that allows drones to provide dedicated services while being seamlessly connected with other devices in the air and on the ground. This connected ecosystem where drones and additional vehicles will be connected to serve a variety of roles and tasks is one that GUTMA (Global UTM Association) is very focused on helping to enable. They’re dedicated to the safe, secure and efficient integration of drones in national airspace systems. Their involvement with a recent demonstration of how drones can be safely and efficiently integrated into the existing airspace could change when U-space could be rolled out, especially in light of the milestones that the SESAR blueprint have outlined.

Will Everything Come Together in 2019?

Sebastian Babiarz from AirMap is part of the GUTMA board of directors, and as such has been actively involved in the effort to figure when this U-space ecosystem can become a reality. Many of those efforts are currently focused on reaching the milestones that have been set for U-space development based on the SESAR blueprint. The EU has said they want to be up and running with this setup by 2019, but hitting that deadline is going to require a concerted effort on the part of stakeholders throughout the continent.

“The expectation is that U-space is going to get switched on in 2019, but there are still a lot of questions about how exactly that is going to work,” Babiarz told Commercial UAV News. “EASA and SESAR made this road map, but we still need to figure out exactly what that looks like for member states and European Union. Some of it is going to be dependent on demonstrations that need to take place between now and the milestones that have been set up for 2019.”

The first two of those milestones have been designated U1 and U2. U1 is the one set to be enabled by 2019, which will see basic services like registration, e-identification and geo-fencing. U2 is currently set for 2021, when further capabilities like flight planning, flight approval, and dynamic airspace awareness are set to be engaged. Milestones and deadlines associated with U3 and U4 have also been established, but the demonstrations that Babiarz mentioned are the focus in the short term, since they will directly impact whether or not this ecosystem becomes a reality in 2019, or sooner.

Demonstrations and Business Opportunities

At the recent High Level Conference on Drones, a declaration was declared which, among other things, called for the establishment of a European U-space Demonstrator Network. This network would consider demonstrations that cover all aspects of drone operations and be developed in close collaboration with local authorities, all of which underscore how important such demonstrations are in the creation of the U-space.

“One-day demonstrations are great, but they need be able to transition into long-term pilot programs,” said Babiarz, who was a speaker at the High Level Conference on Drones. “These demonstrations should enable a longer process of engagement. This is what we’re looking for, and it’s what the commission and SESAR are focused on. They’re trying to create programs where the different stakeholders can come together to prepare demonstrations and then create business opportunities.”

The importance of the role that private-public partnerships play when it comes to these types of demonstrations cannot be understated, and there is a concerted effort to support SMEs and new entrants with the proper funding. Skyguide and their project partners – which included AirMap, SITAONAIR, senseFly, Intel and PX4 – showcased what these demonstrations can mean in terms of creating these business opportunities and potentially moving up that 2019 milestone.

Opening Up the Sky

Many of the individuals and organizations that have invested their time and resources into the development of U-Space contend that U1 and U2 services could be enabled right now. It’s something that was recently demonstrated in Geneva with Europe’s first live demonstration of sophisticated U-space capabilities, which proved that the right software already allows operators to do identification, submit flight plans to the proper authorities and utilize geofencing – no additional hardware required. We may not need to wait for 2019 to open up the European sky, because the technical capability to do so exists right now.

“We triggered a lot of discussion in the European Commission with that demonstration,” Babiarz said. “We were able to open people’s minds about what is possible today – we can do U1 and U2 without any extra effort from the drone manufacturers in terms of creating additional pieces of hardware.”

The good news is that such demonstrations are being noticed and things are speeding up. Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport, connected with stakeholders at the recent conference and seemed open to creating a much more flexible regulatory environment. “The months ahead will be crucial, but I am confident that the Helsinki Declaration will give us the necessary impetus. It sets out a clear and common strategy endorsed by the entire sector,” she mentioned. However, she also wanted to make sure that moving faster wouldn’t bring the industry down a blind path that will create additional problems.

A framework for demonstrations like the one performed by Skyguide and their partners was identified as a critical need in these meetings, and GUTMA offered to be an orchestrator for future demonstrations like the one that took place in Switzerland. That said, doing so might be difficult since SESAR is partially playing that role right now, but the fact is, there is no centralized entity that’s collecting and sharing demonstration information, which has led some to question whether or not the 2019 milestone is going to happen. A dedicated effort to coordinate the results of these demonstrations so that information can be efficiently collected and distributed will enable this ecosystem to come together by 2019 or sooner to truly open up the skies across Europe.

Stay tuned to updates from GUTMA around how their efforts to coordinate these efforts continue to take shape.

]]>https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/update-drone-regulation-u-space-integration-europe/feed/0How Easy is it to Integrate the UX11 Drone Into a Professional Mapping Toolkit?https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/easy-integrate-ux11-drone-professional-mapping-toolkit/
https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/easy-integrate-ux11-drone-professional-mapping-toolkit/#respondTue, 12 Dec 2017 11:00:29 +0000https://www.expouav.com/news/?p=11479The UX11 from Delair made waves throughout the industry when it was announced and showcased at INTERGEO. Positioned as the ultimate solution for geospatial professionals focused on large-area mapping, Delair has made a conscious effort to ensure users will be able to easily incorporate it into their established workflow. The drone’s flight time, 3G/4G connectivity…

The UX11 from Delair made waves throughout the industry when it was announced and showcased at INTERGEO. Positioned as the ultimate solution for geospatial professionals focused on large-area mapping, Delair has made a conscious effort to ensure users will be able to easily incorporate it into their established workflow. The drone’s flight time, 3G/4G connectivity and fully-integrated camera plus on-board processing capabilities are just a few of the features that were specifically designed to simplify the adoption process.

It’s one thing to talk about easing drone adoption challenges and quite another to actually enable them though, and that’s why we wanted to find out what it will actually mean to integrate the UX11 into a mapping toolkit. Where will professionals see a specific difference when adopting the UX11? Are there certain opportunities that will be opened up by the 3G/4G capabilities? Should users think of the UX11 as a complete drone solution?

To find out these answer and plenty more, we connected with Chase Fly, Geospatial Product Manager for Delair. In the interview below, Fly explains what kind of opportunities the UX11 is set to enable and provides key insight that will enable you to determine if it’s the right solution for you.

Jeremiah Karpowicz: When we caught up with him at INTERGEO, Benjamin Benharrosh mentioned that the UX11 had been in the works at Trimble, but Delair finished developing it. Can you talk a little bit about the potential you saw in the product when you first learned about it?

Chase Fly: Trimble had a great team of experienced UAV engineers within the Gatewing group in Gent, Belgium. These engineers had already developed two generations of successful fixed-wing, purpose-built drones. They had lots of ideas on how they could improve upon the current generation of products, but many of these ideas just weren’t feasible upgrades to the UX5 – they required developing a whole new product.

Delair saw a group of brilliant engineers with several years of legitimate market insight gained from working hand-in-hand with Trimble’s geospatial dealer network around the world. They had a great concept they had started to develop on but needed additional resources to make it happen, which is where Delair came in. Additionally, the Belgian plant had some very advanced production processes and capabilities in place that allowed for scalable production of drones. The potential lied in their ideas for creating a professional mapping drone that was easy-to-use and feature-rich, then having the distribution power to make it a success.

Do you think the UX11 fulfills the original vision for the product, or has it been taken in a different/new direction?

There have certainly been modifications to original concepts, but I think the original vision for the product has remained intact. The UX11 is focused on being the new UAV of choice for surveyors and GISers for small to large-scale drone mapping. The UX11 is designed to be so easy to use that the operations are no longer a distraction to the mission – which is efficiently collecting high-quality geospatial data.

What kind of an impact do you envision it will have on the geospatial market?

We envision the UX11 will assist the geospatial market in shifting the drone conversation from the hype of the drone hardware to the value of the data. This movement is already taking place in the larger market conversation at conferences and in industry media, but for those of us in the trenches trying to turn ideas into revenue, still too much of the sales conversations are about hardware specifications, performance, and cost. The technology is still maturing and we believe that it will be evident that our 3rd generation mapping drone is easy to use, safe, priced right, and does what it is supposed to do – take high-quality, precisely positioned aerial photos that produce accurate maps. Thus, we intend to make that drone hardware purchasing decision faster and easier for the geospatial market so we can all spend our time and energy diving deeper into the data and extracting business intelligence.

With that focus on efficiently collecting geospatial data, can you talk a bit more about the type of professional that is going to get the most out of the UX11?

The core users of the UX11 will be professional land surveyors, GIS professionals, construction crews, civil engineers, and environmental consultants. Applications will include topographic surveys, wildlife habitat surveys, real estate development, economic development by public agencies, wildland management, and hydrologic modeling to name a few. Surface modeling, hazard analysis, and volume calculations will continue to be popular with this system by mines, quarries, and landfills, but with the added benefit of our “birdlike” takeoff and landing (BTOL).

Where and how will these types of professionals see a difference when using the UX11?

Often sites in confined areas like mines and quarries struggle to get the most efficiency out of a drone for mapping. The ability of drones to produce the data they need for accurate volume or cut/fill calculations is one of the best-documented and proven applications, but these companies often have to choose between a fixed wing drone for which they cannot find a safe area with enough space for takeoff and landing, or a multirotor that lacks the endurance to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

The UX11 is hand-launched and takes off at a very steep angle of attack to quickly rise above obstacles. Then the landing is even cooler – on its final approach the UX11 will descend at a very steep downward slope. It is equipped with a distance measurement sensor that will detect when it is a few meters above the ground at which time the drone quickly rotates upward into a deep stall and then sets softly on the ground with almost no skidding at all – like a bird (BTOL)! This means you can operate it in more areas than other fixed wings, and you can get more work done in less time than multirotors.

Will the longer flight time open up new opportunities for operators? If so, in what capacity?

Yes, it certainly will.

More flight time, combined with the ease of swapping batteries and getting the UX11 back in the air will make it a highly-productive mapping drone. Combined with our 3G communication link, this also opens up a real opportunity for BVLOS flights where possible.

Many parts of the world where Delair has distribution are able to operate BVLOS and eventually the western world will have policy in place to allow it as well. Operators really need endurance to unlock the value of BVLOS. After all, how far can you go in 25 minutes? We believe being able to fly for up to an hour can cut down on in-the-field logistics and allow more data to be collected in a concentrated period of time. Time is money for a lot of customers, such as construction. The less time you have to disrupt regular operations for a survey, the better.

Can you further explore some of the key features of the UX11?

Besides operational improvements such as the takeoff, landing, and flight performance enhancements we’ve developed, the UX11 brings three unique features that set it up to last well into the future:

an embedded electronic system with a fully-integrated camera and on-board processing enables benefits such as real-time quality checks and the ability to continually develop new functionality,

3G/4G communications as well as 2.4 GHz.

PPK on-demand which enables affordable, incremental access to PPK accuracy when you need it even if you have the base model.

The electronics in the UX11 were developed entirely by Delair and you will not find another embedded system in this class that was tailor-made for mapping from the ground up. There is even an extra chip on the hardware stack whose job is to monitor the autopilot and manage unexpected events for an extra level of flight safety.

I wanted to focus on that 3G/4G communication capabilities for a moment, as it feels like that’s a real differentiator for the product. Can you talk about the challenges that drone operators have run into when it comes to connectivity?

The 3G/4G connectivity resolves a few problems that drone operators often run into with standard 2.4GHz or other direct radio link comms.

BVLOS communications are hard. Consumer, prosumer, and the majority of professional UAVs use similar communications systems between the ground control station and the UAV and most all of them are quite limited on the range you can reliably maintain link. We have many existing customers using our products who want to fly farther in BVLOS conditions but are limited by comms range limitations. With 3G coverage, your range is virtually unlimited anywhere you have cell coverage.

Buildings and terrain get in the way. Often direct radio links like 2.4 GHz are lost when there is a building, hill, or other obstacle between the operator and the drone. Direct line of sight is critical for standard operations, but 3G removes that obstacle. Now both machines – the UX11 and the Ground Control Station – are connected to a private network by using local 3G service virtually anywhere in the world, and all through SIM cards and plans provided through Delair. So obstacles or not, communications will be there.

Radio interference can be a problem. Many UAV operators encounter significant interference on a 2.4GHz comm link, especially in parts of the world where they operate in urban environments. They may be able to see the drone just fine, but they can lose communications, and that is a scary feeling. 3G infrastructure is often very present in these places and the frequency is much less prone to interruption. This provides for safer operations in more places.

What sort of opportunities do you think will be opened up by this 3G/4G connectivity?

The 3G/4G communications combined with an 2.4 GHz link is definitely one of our most exciting features of the UX11. It opens up a lot of new possibilities and we are sure our customers will think of new ways to use their drones as they understand what it means to have unlimited communication range. Just to mention a few, here are some opportunities that this will enable.

Where regulations allow, you can feasibly conduct BVLOS flights over that open pit mine or construction site just by stepping outside your office. No need to get in a truck and take a drive if you can safely launch and monitor the flight from the picnic area just outside the office.

The UX11 can leverage the embedded camera to transmit low-res photos back to the GCS for real-time data review. While you monitor that flight from the picnic area, you will be able to see what your UX11 is flying over and make in-flight judgement calls based on data quality.

You can operate in urban areas or dissected terrain with a lower risk of losing link. Many people want to use the UX11 for urban planning, economic development, and even cadastral mapping of populated areas where 3G can enable operators to avoid signal interference from obstructions or competing signal noise. In the mountains the UX11 may be used for forestry, powerline inspection, oil and gas, invasive species mapping, and environmental work. These types of operations are especially popular in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, and the 3G communications will make these operations more feasible.

Can you tell us about some of the logistics you considered when it came to decisions around the sensor?

The sensor was selected based on our past experience with data quality and embedded systems. The sensor is one that has been used in previous successful Delair products, such as the DT18, and has been proven to provide exceptional quality and accuracy in the final data products. It can produce crisp and clear orthophotos as well as consistently accurate surface models. As opposed to using an off-the-shelf camera with its own interface, storage, and controls, we selected an industrial RGB camera sensor which has been fully integrated into the electronics of the UX11.

Our main purpose in integrating the sensor this way is to enable greater control of photo quality and provide real-time knowledge of that quality. By embedding the sensor into our electronics board, not only can we control the camera with our software and autopilot directly, but we can, for example, send photos and a histogram from the camera to the GCS in real-time so the user has an idea of the photo quality during the flight as well as improved situational awareness. The future development opportunities this embedded camera gives us are endless.

Those who have experience mapping with drones have probably also had the experience where the field work appeared to go well, but when they got back to the office and looked at the photos or tried to process them in photogrammetry software, the data were bad and the process failed. Maybe the pictures were too dark, there was not enough contrast, or they were blurry because it was a windy day. With the UX11, you will know how good your data is before you leave the field. You can make decisions on whether to continue flying on a bad weather day or whether to re-fly an area before you head back to the office in order to save time and money later.

Does your work with Intel enable users to think of and utilize the UX11 as a complete drone solution?

Absolutely. Our work with Intel as a strategic partner in developing the Intel Insight platform demonstrates our commitment to realizing business intelligence from drone systems. Now with the UX11 and Intel Insight as our two major points of focus in the coming year, we are confident in our ability to deliver a complete drone solution from mission planning, to hardware, to processing, to analytics that answer specific questions based on accurate data.

Delair has a tremendous focus on R&D where the majority of the company’s employees have been working for the past 6 years. There is tremendous engineering talent and people with specialized expertise in-house including embedded electronics, mechanical engineering, aerodynamics, telecommunications, camera sensors, photogrammetry, deep learning algorithms, and software development. Frankly, the company has more expertise and experience than the world currently knows and we are working hard this year to get the word out.

What sort of adoption challenges do you envision someone might have when looking to integrate the UX11 into a workflow or process? Are there any tips you can provide to help avoid or sort through those kinds of challenges?

We believe the UX11 will be one of the easiest drones to integrate into any professional mapping toolkit. We do expect a lot of questions surrounding the 3G/4G communications and how that works from users as this is a new concept for the industry. Users may expect a challenge to setup and use the service or be concerned about unexpected fees surrounding the service. They may also have questions about data security. However, Delair is working hard to make any challenges easy for the customer to overcome and data security is of utmost importance.

Delair has negotiated a contract with a cellular network who has worldwide roaming partners. Each system will include 2 SIM cards, one will be pre-installed in the drone, and one will be delivered to the user with instructions on a simple installation into the Android tablet of their choice. The service will be activated upon delivery and there is no further setup required, very easy.

What is unique about this system is that it is a true machine-to-machine network. The data and communication link between the ground control station and the UX11 will be a private network, much like a VPN. There will be no access to the internet and data will only be able to be transmitted between the GCS and the drone, so data is secure and private. We are simply leveraging the cellular infrastructure, that is now so prevalent around the world, as our communication link. And where 3G coverage may not be sufficient, we offer the optional radio module for straightforward 2.4 GHz communications.

One other adoption challenge with many RTK/PPK-enabled drones is how to post-process your data. This can sometimes require expensive third-party software or expertise that many drone users may not have. With the UX11 we will provide a simple-to-use post-flight software tool that will allow you to post-process baselines of your photo coordinates in the same app you use to transfer the data from drone to PC for processing. This functionality will be included with all PPK-enabled UX11s, whether you have unlimited PPK or on-demand PPK for only a month.

If someone is looking at the UX11 for their operation, but isn’t quite sure it’s the right fit, what’s the best resource or way for them to make that determination?

By far, the best resource for people to determine whether the UX11 is the right tool for them is their local Delair distributor. We have a worldwide network of distributors that will be fully trained on the product and will have documentation on it over the next few months. Our distributors are geospatial technology experts with longstanding expertise in land surveying, GIS, construction, and mapping and they will know better than anyone how to help a customer identify if the UX11 is the right tool for what they want to do and how it fits in their current work flows. If you are not sure who your distributor is, please fill out an information request on the Delair website here and we will put you in contact with your local dealer.

When is the product going to be available, and what’s the best way someone can get their hands on it?

Finalizing the UX11 product is Delair’s top priority and all teams are hard at work to get it to market. First shipments are scheduled for the first quarter of 2018 and interested customers can contact their local Delair distributor for more information and pricing as it comes available.

]]>https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/easy-integrate-ux11-drone-professional-mapping-toolkit/feed/0How Can UAV Data Solve Imaging Problems?https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/can-uav-data-solve-imaging-problems/
https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/can-uav-data-solve-imaging-problems/#respondMon, 11 Dec 2017 11:00:43 +0000https://www.expouav.com/news/?p=11448The morning after fire has destroyed most of your vineyard, you realize that you must decide whether or not to replant. Your UAV with multispectral imager was optimized to detect water stress using specific wavelength bands, but now the plants are gone and you wonder about the quality of the soil, now strewn with combustion…

The morning after fire has destroyed most of your vineyard, you realize that you must decide whether or not to replant. Your UAV with multispectral imager was optimized to detect water stress using specific wavelength bands, but now the plants are gone and you wonder about the quality of the soil, now strewn with combustion products. Several camera vendors have already contacted you, including some who sell hyperspectral imagers. Hyperspectral… it has a nice techno ring to it, but how would you know if it meets your imaging needs?

You manage a large oil refinery where thermal cameras mounted on UAVs have successfully detected tank corrosion and leak locations. You want to go one step further by identifying specific contaminants in the refinery offgas. You think you may need a spectrally-selective technique, but several options present themselves including filtering the camera’s broadband output and using a Lidar sensor. What information do you need in order to communicate well with a camera vendor or solution provider?

Your neighbors report seeing people at the edges of your large ranch during nighttime hours, but they seldom stay in one place and can be seen moving near the trees. While you can’t legally operate your UAV with thermal imager at night, is there any value to mapping your area during the daytime?

These scenarios illustrate that as the UAV market continues to expand, the variety of imaging solutions to any problem may seem overwhelming to data end users and enterprise decision makers. The following paragraphs discuss basic concepts that can help decision makers become more intelligent consumers.

Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) can be used to create a number of data products, including digital elevation models, topographic maps, and canopy height profiles. It can also be used to detect gas constituents, including pollutants from smokestacks. In operation, the laser source at a specific wavelength directs pulsed energy toward the target and receives a reflected signal back. Because the pulse initiates imaging, Lidar is referred to as an active sensing technique

The majority of imagers that fly aboard UAVs are passive sensors that do not send out a pulse. Instead, they make use of a target’s material properties, particularly its reflectance or emittance. Reflectance-based imaging dominates in the visible spectrum and the near infrared (NIR), with the source of radiation usually being the sun. Emittance dominates in the thermal infrared, so two adjacent objects having the same temperature but very different emittances can show up with enough contrast to be differentiated when a thermal infrared camera is used to image them. While this type of camera is often used to image people against a background at night, a human can show up in daylight imaging against a colder background (such as snow.)

The figure below illustrates the electromagnetic spectrum, including those regions where we see the majority of UAVs operating. The visible wavelength region is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum over which the human eye is sensitive, and extends from about 0.38 micrometers to 0.76 micrometers. A micrometer, often referred to as a micron, is 1 one-millionth of a meter. Given that a meter is a bit longer than 3 yards, a micron is a very small unit of measure.

Color is a property of human vision and it is common to see RGB cameras in UAV applications. Color-specific filters providing red, green, and blue are designed into the system, and further processing allows the full color spectrum to be rendered in the output image. When filters are not part of the camera, a grey-scale image is produced. Applications for visible imagers span the UAV solution space, from construction management to infrastructure inspection to aerial real estate photography.

The near-infrared is a small portion of the spectrum just outside the visible, extending to about 1.4 micrometers or further, depending upon the imager’s detector. This small spectral region has been very valuable since the earliest days of the NASA Landsat satellites to assess plant health, and it is used in precision agriculture today. NIR cameras employ a false color system to produce images in which healthy vegetation appears red, while less healthy vegetation typically appears grey. This information is valuable to the farmer or vintner, as plant stress information shows up in the NIR before it may be seen with the naked eye. As in the visible region, the dominant physical process in the NIR is reflectance.

The infrared spectrum begins where the NIR ends, with many thermal infrared cameras capturing images between about 7 and 14 micrometers. False color applied to the camera’s image allows thermal differences between objects to be visualized in greater detail. High-temperature targets, such as aircraft and ground vehicle engines and muzzle exhaust gas plumes appear highly radiant on thermal imagery. Fires, do, also, with brighter locations indicating higher temperatures, information that can help fire managers decide where to deploy chemical retardants.

It should be noted that there is no distinct spectral region for Lidar, as the technique makes use of lasers at several different wavelengths in the visible and NIR.

Finally, three imaging modalities are important to consider. They are broadband, multispectral, and hyperspectral.

A broadband imager collects data over a wide spectral band, such as the thermal infrared. A visible imager collecting data over the visible spectral region is also a broadband imager.

A multispectral imager, used often in precision agriculture, makes use of many smaller spectral bands, collecting data in narrow portions of the spectrum that can be used to generate images.

A hyperspectral imager collects data in hundreds of narrow spectral bands, typically across the visible and NIR. Hyperspectral imagers provide information about the ground target both spatially and spectrally (by wavelength). Therefore, the imager’s output consists of as many images as there are spectral bands. Precise geo-location is required to maximize the value of this information, which may be used in several applications including mineral identification.

In conclusion, UAV data users and enterprise decision-makers have numerous options available to solve their imaging problems. Detailed knowledge of the application and the target one expects to image are important keys to success.

]]>https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/can-uav-data-solve-imaging-problems/feed/0GSA Schedule Contract Awarded to Altavianhttps://www.expouav.com/news/latest/gsa-schedule-contract-awarded-altavian/
https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/gsa-schedule-contract-awarded-altavian/#respondFri, 08 Dec 2017 19:10:54 +0000https://www.expouav.com/news/?p=11484The General Services Administration (GSA) has recognized Altavian, a Florida-based drone manufacturer, as a trusted, reliable supplier and has awarded it with a GSA Schedule contract. It’s a move that is the first of its kind for a U.S.-based UAV company. As part of the GSA Schedules Program, a GSA Schedule contract aims to facilitate…

The General Services Administration (GSA) has recognized Altavian, a Florida-based drone manufacturer, as a trusted, reliable supplier and has awarded it with a GSA Schedule contract. It’s a move that is the first of its kind for a U.S.-based UAV company.

As part of the GSA Schedules Program, a GSA Schedule contract aims to facilitate agencies of the U.S. government with purchasing commercial products and services, and to leverage the buying power of the federal government in the process. By establishing fixed prices for Altavian products, any U.S government agency or approved entity can now directly purchase them with predetermined cost and delivery terms.

“Altavian is committed to delivering high quality unmanned aircraft solutions to our Government customers,” said John Perry, CEO of Altavian. “Users in the public sector demand high quality, safe, and secure drone systems to responsibly deploy the technology in applications ranging from emergency response to resource management. Opening this sales channel allows public officials to streamline sourcing the best in U.S. manufactured drone technology to serve the public.”

The company also offers various solutions/services for commercial industries – agriculture, mining, surveying -, as well as for different government departments – civil, defense, research, and resource management.

The GSA Schedule will add these services to its list, meaning federal agencies can use the contract directly with Altavian for UAV Flight / Data Acquisition Services with a simplified rate structure.

]]>https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/gsa-schedule-contract-awarded-altavian/feed/0Are You a Manned Aircraft Pilot Who Cares About Drone Safety?https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/drone-safety-manned-unmanned/
https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/drone-safety-manned-unmanned/#respondFri, 08 Dec 2017 13:00:53 +0000https://www.expouav.com/news/?p=11477The integration of manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace is inevitable and no longer a matter of if but when. Advances on UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) and the simplification and commercialization of detect-and-avoid systems are forcing the FAA to get closer and closer to a ruling that would allow UAV flights to operate beyond…

The integration of manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace is inevitable and no longer a matter of if but when. Advances on UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) and the simplification and commercialization of detect-and-avoid systems are forcing the FAA to get closer and closer to a ruling that would allow UAV flights to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and eventually, in the vicinity of and in coordination with, manned aircraft.

Over the past year I’ve been writing for Commercial UAV News, and in all these months I’ve met amazing individuals of all ages and professions that have decided to make this industry their home. The emphasis on my writing and my research has been primarily on safety and the complex relationship between this new generation of aviators with the federal regulator, but also with the established business of transporting goods and people on manned aircraft. A number of the men and women who I have interviewed over the course of the past 15 months, primarily over the issue of their involvement with the UAV industry, also happened to be aviators and pilots of manned aircraft.

These conversations have led to the belief that there’s a growing community of manned aircraft pilots who are joining the UAV industry. They’re adopting the unofficial role of ‘mediators’ between the established way of conducting business in the manned aviation community and how these methods and procedures can be adapted to the unmanned aircraft sector. However, without establishing a common language and shared universal procedures, the integration of the two types of aircraft in controlled airspace will be pushed further in the future. By contrast, adoption of these established methodologies by the UAV industry might accelerate the integration.

A perfect example is the recent increase in the interest for Safety Management Systems (SMS) in the drone community and how more and more established enterprises adding drone functions to their daily routines, are choosing to implement SMS before they become operational. The FAA will be granting more and more waivers to companies that responsibly can demonstrate that their operations are safe and are also following strict protocols to guarantee the safety of people and installations on the ground.

Given that more and more pilots of manned aircraft are joining the UAV industry and taking into account that these pilots bring to the table years and sometimes decades of experience in safety, we have created a new LinkedIn group called “Aviators for Drone Safety”.

The reason we called it Aviators is because we want to have mechanics, Air Traffic Controllers, regulators and anyone currently involved in the handling, management and operation of manned aircraft to join us in an effort to increase safety and contribute to the safe integration of manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace. If you believe this initiative is important and you want to add your voice to the growing chorus of safety-oriented aviators, we invite you to join us today.

]]>https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/drone-safety-manned-unmanned/feed/0IATA Takes a Formal Position into the Issue of Drones Integration into Airspacehttps://www.expouav.com/news/latest/iata-takes-formal-position-issue-drones-integration-airspace/
https://www.expouav.com/news/latest/iata-takes-formal-position-issue-drones-integration-airspace/#respondThu, 07 Dec 2017 14:20:20 +0000https://www.expouav.com/news/?p=11475On December 5th, Rob Eagles, Director ATM Infrastructure and Céline Hourcade, Head Cargo Transformation of IATA made a presentation at the Global Media Day event in Geneva, Switzerland, in which they acknowledged and reviewed the challenges and opportunities that drones are bringing to the international air cargo industry. The International Air Transport Association is a…

On December 5th, Rob Eagles, Director ATM Infrastructure and Céline Hourcade, Head Cargo Transformation of IATA made a presentation at the Global Media Day event in Geneva, Switzerland, in which they acknowledged and reviewed the challenges and opportunities that drones are bringing to the international air cargo industry.

The International Air Transport Association is a trade organization created in 1945 to promote safety and cooperation between airlines. Today IATA has 275 members in 117 countries, and its members are responsible for 83% of total air-traffic in the world. So far, IATA had been relatively silent in regards to the issue of UAVs as well as the inevitable integration of manned and unmanned aircraft in controlled airspace.

Mr. Eagles said that there were many safety and security risks emerging as the rapid growth of drones continued, including a higher risk of aircraft accidents and incidents caused by the irresponsible use of an unmanned vehicle and the potential security threat posed by unauthorized use of UAS for malicious purposes.

“IATA is actively engaged in education, awareness and the need for regulation for safe, efficient and sustainable operations and has been concentrating on safety, air traffic management (ATM) and integrated operations,” said Eagles. “All of these areas are related and we need to make sure operations are safe, appropriate regulation and infrastructure is in place and operations are integrated.”

The opportunities for savings are too great to ignore. IATA now recognizes the inevitable fact that its members are seriously looking at adding this new powerful tool to their existing operations. The organization is creating a preemptive movement to be ready when they do.

“Under the ATM work area, in collaboration with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), IATA is working to ensure drones operate within the existing airspace structures safely and without negatively impacting on the capacity and efficiency of manned aircraft,” Eagles continued. “Along with new standards and regulations, new airspace areas need to be defined, in particular below 500 feet and above 60,000 feet.”

“UAVs offer new thinking methodology and opportunities to reshape the future for all airspace users, manned or unmanned,” Eagles mentioned. “We just need to ensure that it is done safely and efficiently.”

Long-term, it is foreseeable that unmanned aircraft will be used to transport passengers as well. From flying cars & taxis under development by automotive manufacturers and companies like UBER, to wide-body passenger aircraft with no pilot on board. The question is probably not if anymore, but when? Because of this, IATA’s challenge now is to facilitate this new branch of aviation by developing standards to support safe, efficient, orderly, reliable and sustainable drone operations into the airspace system.

“This is our mandate. Because our mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry,” Eagles concluded.